BEHAVIORAL NEUROSCIENCE
SYLLABUS
PSYC/NRSC 4052/5052
Daniel Barth
Fall 2013
Office:
Phone:
Hours:
MUEN E420
492-0359 (2-0359)
TR- 11:00-12:00 (or by appointment)
Class: TR 9:30AM-10:45AM
Room: HUMN 1B80
Lab:
2 Sections - F (101,102) or W (103,104)
MUEN E0022
Required Texts: PRINCIPLES OF NEURAL SCIENCE, E.R. Kandel, J.H. Schwartz & T.M. Jessell, Fourth Edition, Elsevier,
2000.
Download LECTURE NOTES from my Web site at http://psych.colorado.edu/~dbarth/
The Lab Manual and Lab Data Worksheet are also available at this Web site.
Make sure to download my ANATOMY QUICKTIME MOVIES from this site as well.
Not required: This older version text is not available and therefore not required. If you can find a used copy though, get it. The new
edition is overpriced and pretty poor. I wouldn’t buy it.
THE CIBA COLLECTION OF MEDICAL ILLUSTRATIONS, VOLUME I, NERVOUS SYSTEM, PART I,
ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY, Frank H. Netter, M.D., CIBA, 1991.
Date
AUG
SEP
OCT
NOV
DEC
DEC
Lecture Topic
Reading
27
29
3
5
10
12
17
19
24
26
1
3
8
10
15
17
22
24
29
31
5
7
12
14
19
21
26
28
3
5
10
12
Organization (1)
Methods for Studying the Brain (1)
Neuroanatomy (4)
(pp. 98, 366-380, 913-916)
1,17,18,44,43(pp.853-856),49,50
Neurophysiology (5)
2,7,8,9,10,11,12,14,15
16
FINAL EXAM 1:30 PM - 4:00 PM HUMN 1B80
QUIZ 1 around here
Approximate guide,
use lectures as true guide
Review of Neuroanatomy and Neurophysiology
EXAM I
Vision (5)
21,26,27,28,29
Exams cover what has been covered
up to that date
Audition (3)
QUIZ 2 around here
Review of Visual and Auditory Systems
NO CLASS (scientific meeting)
EXAM II
Sensory/Motor (4-5)
30,31
22,23,33,36,37,38
NO CLASS (Fall Break)
NO CLASS (Fall Break)
42[if we get to the cerebellum]
Review
“Quasi-cumulative”
GRADING
Two Quizzes
Three Exams
Laboratory
=
=
=
60 points
300 points
100 points
A+
A
AB+
B
BC+
C
CD+
D
D-
=
=
=
=
=
=
=
=
=
=
=
=
96.7 - 100%
93.4 - 96.6%
90 - 93.3%
86.7 - 89.9%
83.4 - 86.6%
80 - 83.3%
76.7 - 79.9%
73.4 - 76.6%
70 - 73.3%
66.7 - 69.9%
63.4 - 66.6%
60 - 63.3%
Guidelines for 4052 Behavioral Neuroscience
About the course: This is an advanced undergraduate course, taught at the border between undergraduate and graduate levels. All of
you will find the material challenging, and with enough effort, you will find it very interesting and rewarding. Yet, the course takes a
concerted effort, probably twice as much as most other psychology or biology courses you have experienced. If you do not have the
time or motivation this semester for such a commitment, I urge you to drop this course. If you are looking for a challenge, and really
want to know how your brain works on a physiological basis, you have come to the right place.
About the textbooks: The assigned textbooks are not only perfect for this course, but are also excellent and valuable references. If you
plan to continue in any area of neuroscience, biological psychology, medicine, or any pursuit that requires the brain, I suggest you hang
on to these books. The main text is a fat and imposing book from the outside. Do not be intimidated. It is very clearly written and the
reading includes only about 1/2 of the book. Feel free to read the remaining 1/2 of the book in your spare time! The companion
anatomy text is full of spectacular medical illustrations, many of which are used in the lectures on Neuroanatomy. It also has great, if
not overly simplified, little blurbs about the function of different neural structures that you may find helpful.
The attached syllabus should be used as an approximate guide to the sequence of lecture material so that you can coordinate your
reading. Any modifications will be announced in class.
I have coordinated the lecture material so that its organization follows that of the assigned chapters in the textbook. Sometimes the
lectures will follow the text closely, and at other times they will be totally supplementary.
It cannot be emphasized enough that it is critical to read textbook chapters before relevant material is presented in class. It cannot be
emphasized enough that it is critical to read textbook chapters before relevant material is presented in class. It cannot be emphasized
enough that it is critical to read textbook chapters before relevant material is presented in class...
Similarly, it is critical to attend all lectures. It has been my experience that when students miss lectures, they also miss related questions
on quizzes and exams. All of my exam questions are derived from the lecture materials alone. You are 100% responsible for all
material presented in lecture, even if it is not in the reading. In contrast, you are not required to know material in the textbook that is
not directly covered in lecture.
The course begins with Neuroanatomy, which is a hard area of Neuroscience for some students because it requires a lot of
memorization. What a way to start a semester with lots of memorization. Yet, the anatomy must be mastered before you can go on to
study nervous system function. I strongly recommend that you put in a major effort early and do the memorizing.
We then move on to Neurophysiology, which many students find to be the second most difficult area of Neuroscience. Be aware then
that the material leading to the first exam may be for some of you the most difficult of the semester.
Quizzes will be concentrated on these early parts of Neuroanatomy and Neurophysiology to make sure that you are staying up with the
material.
Laboratory sessions will be conducted by the teaching assistant and be used for discussion and for some wet and dry brain-work. Your
attendance and performance at all labs will comprise slightly more than 1/5 of your final grade.
I have devoted 2 hours a week to office hours so that you will have plenty of time to get answers to specific questions or problems.
You can also make an appointment to see me if you have a special problem. Please do not be shy about coming to my office to ask any
question (no matter how silly it seems) you want. I consider office hours to be an integral part of teaching this course and invite you to
do the same.
Lectures are based heavily on graphical presentation. For Neuroanatomy, nearly all of the graphics are taken directly from the CIBA
book. Translations of the plate numbers on the screen to plate numbers in the book are provided in the Lecture Notes. I suggest you
mark the relevant plates in the book in advance of lecture so you can familiarize yourself and make notes on your book when
necessary. QuickTime movies used to depict 3-D anatomy during lecture are now available for download at my Website noted above.
They may also be reviewed in the Neuroscience Lab and in the adjacent MAC lab.
My “Lecture Notes 2010” represent a not very updated version that was edited as much as possible for accuracy… BACK IN 2010.
However, beware! IT IS WHAT HAPPENS IN LECTURE THAT COUNTS, NOT WHAT IS IN THE LECTURE NOTES. They are
provided for download so that you can concentrate on taking additional notes during lecture without writing down all the fundamentals.
These notes represent a skeleton of the course, they do not replace lectures in any way. Lectures will often go beyond (or completely
contradict) the notes, and you are responsible for the lectures not the notes.
Rise to the challenge and enjoy!